Rates and Pricing Basis (Internal)¶
Moved from touchstone §11, which keeps the offering positioning and no longer carries the rate card or the conventions behind it. This file is the only place the standard rates are stated; every other document cites it rather than repeating the figures.
Standard rates:
| Rate | Hourly | Day rate (8h) |
|---|---|---|
| Mid | £110 + VAT | £880 + VAT |
| Blended | £140 + VAT | £1,120 + VAT |
| Principal | £165 + VAT | £1,320 + VAT |
Three conventions sit behind these:
- One-off project quotes over £10k are tier-honest. Any one-off project quoted above £10k is broken down and computed at the tiered rates (Principal and Mid at the expected staffing mix, effective £117 to £143 per hour by chapter). The website-family grids in engagement-bands.md are computed this way; the remaining indicative bands there (brand, product) are blended-costed shorthand for scoping, and a live project quote above £10k is always re-derived tier-honest. The rule applies to one-off projects only: Momentum partnership fees are always priced on the blended formula (canonical in momentum/). Rate rises flow through by re-deriving the £ grids; the hour ladders and mixes do not change. The model is canonical in the process pricing docs (website-pricing.md).
- Blended £140 is the T&M instrument. It prices time-and-materials work, day-rate quoting, and fixed-price work under £10k.
- Internal tracking and capacity. We plan and track against a six-hour productive day per person. That is the realistic delivery capacity used for estimating effort and scheduling. When we quote a day rate, a day is eight hours, the industry standard: a blended day is £1,120 (eight hours at £140), a mid day £880, a principal day £1,320.
The gap between the eight-hour quoted day and the six-hour tracked day absorbs the non-billable overhead around delivery (communication, admin, context-switching), so estimates built on six-hour capacity stay realistic while day rates stay competitive.
All figures are + VAT.